


Sickly Sweet

by Morpheus626



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25057294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: A sick Snafu, and thoughts from the past.
Relationships: Merriell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge
Kudos: 9





	Sickly Sweet

“Don’t go,” Snafu whined. He was ridiculously sick, feverish, pale and sweating against the bed sheets, the comforter and another thin blanket tossed to the floor. 

“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” Eugene said, patting his hand gently as he leaned down off of the bed and retrieved the thin blanket for the thousandth time as Snafu started to shiver again. “Put this back on.” 

“Don’t need it,” Snafu shivered. 

“You are so bad at being a patient, y’know that? You’re supposed to let me take care of you right now,” Eugene sighed, and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. 

“Just don’t go,” Snafu whined again, squirming so that his head rested against Eugene’s chest, as close to him as he could possibly be. 

“I’m not goin’ anywhere; you don’t have to worry about that,” Eugene laughed, then frowned. 

Snafu’s eyes were searching the room, and he was clearly somewhere else in his head. 

“You need more water. You’re hallucinating, and I am not gonna have you climbin’ on the roof or some shit,” Eugene hummed as he carefully extricated himself from Snafu, who slumped down against the mattress with the saddest whimper Eugene had ever heard. 

“I almost left,” Snafu’s voice was so quiet Eugene almost didn’t hear him. 

“When?” 

“On the train,” Snafu was crying, tears rolling down his face. “I could never have forgiven myself if I had. I would have missed you so much. Why did I even think about it?” 

“You’re sick, and you’re hallucinatin’, and in any case it doesn’t matter. You’re here with me, safe and sound,” Eugene said softly. He remembered the night on the train, sleepily telling Snafu to stay put, and those few words and that choice had kick-started their lives together. It was a fond memory to him, but clearly a mixed bag for Snafu. 

“But how could I have even considered it?” Snafu was a mess, sobbing, his already stuffy sinuses audibly working overtime to deal with his tears. “It was only for a moment, but I can’t ever take that back.” 

Eugene sat back down on the bed, and pulled Snafu into his lap. “How long have you felt guilty about this?” 

Snafu sobbed and shook but finally replied. “Since Maryland. Since that night. Every now and again whenever it pops up in my head.” 

“You don’t have to feel guilty for that,” Eugene murmured. “We hadn’t discussed anything like movin’ in together at any point prior to gettin’ on that train. Of course you thought about gettin’ up and leavin’ when it got to New Orleans. Everyone else was doin’ the same as soon as it hit their town, standin’ up and leavin’ friends behind.” 

Snafu only sobbed in reply. His skin was alarmingly warm as Eugene traced a pattern softly on his shoulder, around the freckles there. 

“Besides, look at us now. You stayed, I stayed. We moved in together, started fresh somewhere neither of us had ever been, you proposed to me,” Eugene continued. 

“And you said yes,” Snafu sniffled. 

“I did, because I love you,” Eugene said. “And then we drove all the way down here, just uprooted and moved. We drove all that way and didn’t lose our minds, can you believe that?”

Snafu’s giggle was quiet, but Eugene heard it. 

“Right? And now we’re happy and healthy and safe, and nothin’ is gonna change that. Especially not some thought you had in your head two years ago,” Eugene continued. “You’re stuck with me. And I’m stuck with you, and I wouldn’t wanna be stuck anywhere else.” 

Snafu sat up slowly, and smiled. “I love you. Don’t deserve someone as good as you.” 

“Yes, you do. We both deserve each other because there’s no one else who could love us like we love each other,” Eugene said. 

Snafu nodded. 

“You’re gonna throw up aren’t you?” Eugene asked gently. 

Snafu nodded, and he had just enough time to grab the bucket he’d set by the bed for just that purpose. He rubbed Snafu’s back as his body jerked with the effort of throwing up next to nothing, since he hadn’t been able to keep much down. 

“Shit timing,” Snafu muttered as he fell back against the bed, wiping at his mouth. “Sorry.” 

“You can’t help it,” Eugene laughed. “Besides, what greater expression of love is there than bein’ willing to do this and take care of you like this, and you trustin’ me to take care of you?” 

Snafu smirked, and for a moment it was like he wasn’t sick at all. “You’re comin’ back here after you clean up, right lover boy?” 

“You know it,” Eugene replied. “That means you have to stay put. No getting up, no tryin’ to help-” 

“But-” Snafu interrupted. 

“Stay put, and I’ll even read to you,” Eugene interrupted right back, and bit back a laugh as Snafu immediately snuggled into the bed, grabbed the thin blanket from where it had fallen, and pulled it up to his chin like a child who’d just been tucked in for the night. 

“Cannery Row?” Snafu asked as Eugene came back from the bathroom and set the bucket by the bed. 

“You got it,” Eugene replied, pulling the book from the drawer of the bedside table. It was a short book, but they’d been reading it for weeks, if only because reading together was such a comfortable shared activity that it almost immediately made them sleepy. 

He knew Snafu certainly wouldn’t last long, his eyelids with those gorgeous dark lashes already heavy as he snuggled up against him. But that was alright; they were together and cuddled, and that was all that really mattered at the moment.


End file.
